Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio won the charity tournament
La Liga may not have gone ahead this weekend, but some of the league’s star players did take part in a high profile tournament.
The #LaLigaSantanderChallenge went ahead on Sunday, bringing players from 19 of the Spanish top division’s teams together in a charity esports competition played on FIFA 20. Barcelona and Real Mallorca weren’t able to take part due to sponsorship deals with Konami – which makes rival game Pro Evolution Soccer.
Organised by commentator Ibai Llanos, the competition was won by Real Madrid star Marco Asensio – who had missed the entire real season with a knee injury.
Over 170,000 viewers tuned in to see the final between Asensio and Leganes forward Aitor Ruibal, showing the draw that esports can give traditional sports during coronavirus-caused postponements.
The tournament was also broadcast on Spanish television, and leading newspapers Marca and AS put streams on their websites. There were even interviews with the players after each match, to simulate the currently suspended football.
The challenge was organised to raise money to fight the coronavirus pandemic, and brought in £129,000 for the cause.